The Two Maps Below Show an Island
Written by Lilie
7.5 in Academic Writing
May 15, 2021
The two maps below show an island, before and after the construction of some tourist facilities.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
This essay question is from Cambridge IELTS 9 Test 1 Writing Task 1.
Sample Essay
The two maps display an island before and after some tourist facilities were constructed.
Overall, with the construction of different types of facilities, the island has been transformed into a tourist attraction where people can stay, eat, play and easily get around.
The island is about 250 meters long. Before development started, it only had a beach along its western coast and some stands of palms near its eastern and western ends. These natural features have remained unchanged after development.
However, two accommodation areas with footpaths have been built in the center and west of the island respectively. The footpaths in the western accommodation area have been extended westward to the beach where people can now go swimming.
Between the two accommodation areas is reception, which is surrounded by a vehicle track. This track connects with the footpaths west of it, and extends northward to a new restaurant and southward to a new pier. The eastern part of the island remains unspoilt.
162 Words
How to Write the Overview Paragraph
Overall, with the construction of different types of facilities, the island has been transformed into a tourist attraction where people can stay, eat, play and easily get around.
Why I Mentioned the Palm Trees
“The first map is described only briefly.”
The quote above is a comment that an examiner gave to the essay in the Cambridge IELTS book.
The candidate mentioned the beach and the length of the island in his essay. The only thing he didn’t mention is those palm trees. I guess this is what the examiner means by “the first map is described only briefly”.
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this my take on it, I have been preparing for quite a while and next week is my ielts, how do you judge my writting.
The maps illustrate before and after the construction of some tourist facilities on an island.
Overall, The island didn’t have any facilities to accommodate tourist but after the construction was completed, it had quite a lot of amenities.
In the past there, was no construction, it only had some trees spread throughout the island and a beach located to its west. The island was inhabitable and was not suitable to use as a touristic destination before the construction.
After the construction was completed, the island has many touristic facilities such as accommodation, a restaurant, and a reception. A pier was constructed on the south side of the island where, some yachts can be docked. A vehicle track connects pier to the reception and the restaurant. One the other hand foot path are constructed to connect different accommodation among themselves and to the beach.
The presented maps illustrate the tourist alteration of an island in 2 various modes of time.
In general, The area has been undergoing a dramatic transformation with the relocation, addition and replacement of various sections.
Two new receptions have been constructed at the centre of Iceland. two different sides of reception new accommodations have been situated, in which have a junction with receptions with the new footpath. Furthermore, a new footpath has been extended to the western beach to accessibility to swimming. A new pier and two boats have been created on the south of the island.
A new vehicle track has surrounded the reception in the centre. Plus, three trees have been encircled with a footpath on the west of the island. A tree on the east of the island has been cut down and has been transferred to the southeast and has been planted.
Hi Lilie,
In this map, you used “west/east/north/south,” but in your another writing (https://www.ieltsessaybank.com/the-plans-below-show-a-public-park/), you said we should use “left/right” when the compass is missing in the map. Can you explain it a bit?
Hi, this is because I didn’t find a way to use left and right. We don’t know how visitors arrive at the island.
Do you honestly think an island with a length of 250 meters can accommodate a reception, a restaurant, vehicle track around the reception and a side path to the restaurant with around 15 cottages as accommodation for tourists, plus a beach area with swimming facility?
It’s not my fault. It is unclear whether the “100 metres” on the map refers to the whole thing or each of its 6 segments alternating in black and white. If it’s the whole thing, why are there six divisions?
Lilie can to please check my overview,
Overall,it’s clearly shown that before it had sea and beach ,now it has changed into tourist attraction with all the facilities like restaurant ,swimming and with people road
Hi lilie ,please check my note.
At the first,we can see, the before construction of the island, it was empty and there was nothing but one kind of plan trees are in the island. There are not any roods or footpath . Actually it was an abondon place. (For 1st body)
hi. I am not able to generate standard sentences. I always struggle with sentence-making. would you suggest something
Thank you for your sample essay. I have a question in this essay. Could you explain to me the word “respectively” you put at the end of sentence ” two accommodation areas with footpath have been built in the center and west of the island respectively”. Thank you
Hi, Johnny. It means that one accommodation area is in the center of the island and the other one is in the west of the island.
I had written … A restaurant has been opened in the north area along with the reception in the middle. Is it correct?
Thanks for your question. I think it’s unclear whether you mean that reception is in the middle of the restaurant or the middle of the island.
Great. can you tell me why you use east, west and so on as there is not any compass here.
Good question. We don’t know how visitors access the island. We don’t know what the pier is used for. So, we can’t say something like “after you arrive at the pier, you will see X on your left.” I think for this map we have to assume the top is north.
Old this WSJ Tech News Briefing you recommended, is there any web address to it or maybe social media handle?
Hi, WSJ stands for the Wall Street Journal. They have a Youtube Channel.
The island is about 250 meters long in the essay but the map shows 100 meters I don’t get this.
Can you please explain it to me?
Hi, thanks for your comments. There is no scale indicated on the maps so there is no way we can know how long the island actually is.
Ok, but in the real exam, is it better to avoid using directions when there is no compass or I can just go and assume it exists?
And thanks for your lessons by the way.
You’re welcome. An ex-examiner once told me that we can use compass terms when there is no north arrow. But I’m not sure if this way would allow us to get a high score. I think it’s safest not to use compass terms when there is no north arrow.
Hi
Why did you use directions in your essay, while there isn’t a compass in the map?
Good question. We don’t know how visitors access the island. We don’t know what the pier is used for. So, we can’t say something like “after you arrive at the pier, you will see X on your left.” I think for this map we have to assume the top is north.
Hi
Why is “Western accommodation block” inappropriate? Examiner gave this comment in the Cambridge IELTS book.
Hi, in my book, the candidate used “western accommodation units” and the examiner commented that it was used appropriately.
Hi mam,
My doubt is why isn’t the first map described in simple past, rather you chose to describe it in past participle.
Doubt 2: why is the reception para in simPle present.. Isn’t that also a change. Can i frame it in present perfect?
Yes, you can use the present perfect to describe reception.
Hi mam,
My doubt is why isn’t the first map described in simple past, rather you chose to describe it in past participle.
Example: there was a beach along it’s west cost
Hi, thanks for your question. I didn’t use the past participle to describe the first map. I used the past simple: it HAD a beach along its western coast.
Hello Lilie,
Kudos to you and thx a lot for producing your valuable podcast with all the transcripts and explanations. It really helps a lot and it is such a brilliant idean in tems of learning AND teaching English.
I would love to learn more about your backstory to the podcast and your language story. You are invited being part of My Fluent Podcast as an interview guest. If you are not interested, your podcast and you are brilliant nevertheless! Thx
Greetings from Switzerland, Daniel
Hi Lilie
I hope you are fine.
In the last post on the map category, you said : “If there is no north arrow, you can’t assume which way is north”
so, on this map, how you can find the north direction?
Thanks for your kindness to publish all your knowledge in your blog 🙂
Good question. We don’t know how visitors access the island. We don’t know what the pier is used for. So, we can’t say something like “after you arrive at the pier, you will see X on your left.” I think for this map we have to assume the top is north.
Also, I think since it’s a map automatically a compass is necessary for the description.
Not really. Have read this blog post?
The given maps provide information about how an island has been changed the contrucstion of several tourist facilities. It is evident that the island became more modern with the emergence of the construction of leisure facilities.
It can be seen from the first map that the island was surrounded by sea and a small beach without any facilities are constructed. In the East and the West had some coconut trees while in the centre was an empty space.
After the construction and development, the trees still standed as it did in the past. Constructor introduced a reception in the middle, which surrounded by new vehicle track that also led to pier in the south and led to a restaurant in the north. There were two new accomodation areas which built in the East and the opposite side that surrounding footpaths. The one in the West had been constructed footpaths that led to the small beach where had the appearance of swimming area.
An island when it was unexplored by humans and after made it as tourist attraction, has been illustrated by the two maps.
Overall, many facilities were introduced for tourists on island after the construction which has included accommodation, restaurant, pier. Strikingly, construction was done without damaging nature and environment.
It is vivid from the maps that an island has seemed as undiscovered before facilitate new features for tourists.Then, restaurant has built for visitors in the north. Restaurant and reception have connected by vehicle track which has further attached to pier where people visit for boating.
Moreover, small houses are constructed in elliptical shape in west and east. Footpaths are made for going at these accommodations, but in the west, footpath is connected to reach on beach for swimming. Interestingly, the construction was done by keeping an eye on the protection of environment as trees do not demolish to make any building.
I think you need to write: Between the two accommodation areas, THERE is A reception.
Yes, sorry. Reception is indeed uncountable. But you definitely need “there”
Between the two accommodation areas, THERE is A reception area.
Between the two accommodation areas, THERE is A reception office.
Hi, thanks for your question. The sentence is inverted. ‘There’ is not needed. ‘Reception’ is the subject.
Between the two accommodation areas is reception.
Here is another example:
On the east side of the building is Capitol Park.
Good day ma’am.
How do we generate ideas in writing? Any strategies to that effect?
And again, should overview (overall statement) come on the second paragraph of the writing task 1 or at the last paragraph?
Hi, Grant. I listen to podcasts to help me get ideas. I recommend WSJ Tech News Briefing. Practice is also very important. Many topics are similar and many ideas can be used again and again. Also, the first idea that comes to mind may not be easy to expand. Weigh your options before you start writing.
Either the second or the last paragraph can be the overview paragraph. But I prefer to write the overview in the second paragraph.
I hope this helps!
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If you have any specific questions about IELTS writing, please feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll do my best to respond.
@lilyking, thanks for your sample essays, they have been a great help to me. In this essay, I wonder how could you describe the length of the island without having the porper description on the map.
Thanks in advance.
Hi, thanks for your question. I think there is no way we can know the actual length of the island because there is no scale indicated on the maps.